The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-10-04

NOuiu luTu Ile IOOSer DuI all lHlS Jdlh
only gave them the more satisfaction
in thinking of the torture in store
for me. On the same principle that
people eat their pie last, the Indians
led Sewell out first. His condition
was such that but little fun could be
anticipated from his torture. He was
large, fine-looking man, but the re-
suit of his spree and of his capture was
to break him down. He had no more
courage than a child, and it was pitiful
to see him weep and hear his lamenta-
tons. begged of the Indians to let him
60, stating that he was a civilian who
had never injured them, and was so
broken down that he could not live
long. and but for the hot-headed Young
men OF the tribe [ should have got him
off. They urged that he was assisting
to build the railroad which was driving
the game and the Indian out of the
country, and that the white men never
spared a warrior because he was ill.
Such talk as this settled it, and the en-
gineer was led out, stripped of his
clothing, and tied securely to the
stake. Had | sefused 10 look On it
would have been taken as an act OF
cowardice on my part. Realizing this,
| stepped outside the lodge and stood
within ten feet of the stake. Sewell
wept and begged while being made
fast, but when they stepped back he
suddenly grew calm and asked of me-:
Taylor, what does this all mean?
What are they going to do with me?"
They are going to torture you, Mr..
Sewell."
''Are you a prisoner, too?"
"Yes. and they will torture me after
finishing you"
"My God! but this is awful. / have
eight hundred dollars at the camp.
Won't they take that and release u.s."
| replied that if We were worth a
million dollars apiece we could not
purchase our liberty under the circum-
stances, and advised him to call up all
his courage and seek To die like n man.
Any sign of weakness on his part would
excite contempt and increased torture.
and the better way was To defy them
TO do their worst. / believe he tried
his best to brace up. but his nerves
were dreadfully shattered. and after
three or four minutes he began crying
again. This had just the effect l pre-
dicted. Half hundred boys were
sent off TO cut switches, and when they
returned they were told TO 90 ahead
and apply them TO the engineer. The
idea was to whip some courage into
him, but it was fiat failure. Almost
at the first blow the man cried out like
a woman, and, his feet not having yet
been tied, he danced about like pup
pet. / called out to him to kick his
tormentors, but he paid no heed to my
voice. and after time stood stock still
and let the boys whip him until blood
was drawn in a score of places. All
this time he cried like a boy four or
five years old, and heard some of the
old warriors say that he was the most
cowardly white man they had ever
met. He may have lacked courage,
but 1 always believed his conduct to
have been the result of his shattered
and physical condition.
After the boys had switched him for
ten minutes they we're called off. and a
couple of warriors advanced with their
rifles and began to fire
charges of powder into the poor fell
lows flesh. Does it hurt? Well, sir,
hell can't be any worse. I've had a
dozen charges fired into me, and never
felt any pain to equal it I'll take two
bullets in preference to one charge of
powder every time. The first charge
set him to dancing and screaming. and
ut the third or fourth he kicked one of
the warriors over, and became so saw
age that they had to fully bind him to
The stake. They fired thirty-four
charges in all, and by the time they
had finished you could not have told
that Sewell was a white man. His az
ony was something awful, and he
writhed about with such strength that
he stake had twice to be driven deeper.
His shrieks and screams, as l after
ward knew, were heard a distance of
more than two miles. and yet this was
,nly the beginning of what they had in
store for him.
The next move was to apply the
sticks. Some green sticks had
been put upon the fire on purpose, and
.hree or four warriors applied the burn
ng ends to various portions of the en-
yineer's body. The pain fairly drove
him crazy. and in a short time he
ainted. Water was brought from the |
tream and dashed over him, and dur
ng this interval many warriors crowded |
lround me to see how 1 was bearing
Up.
dogs! Do you think you can make
The Long Death cry like that?" 1
h.,<ol III